


Stockholm, Meatballs, and Full-Frontal Snuggling

by KathyIsWeird



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, X-Files Episode Fanfic Exchange (2020), emotional fluff? Is that a thing.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KathyIsWeird/pseuds/KathyIsWeird
Summary: Takes place after the episode "This". Basically a fluff-fest at Ikea.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 9
Kudos: 47
Collections: X-Files Episode Fanfic Exchange (2020)





	Stockholm, Meatballs, and Full-Frontal Snuggling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SheTriedToFly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheTriedToFly/gifts).



The too-enthusiastic voice of the person narrating the commercial on the radio woke Scully from her light nap. As she got older and sleep evaded her, she found that the gentle sway of a car helped her sleep. Mulder, ever the caring gentleman and sometimes-partner, knew this and offered to drive whenever they were together. Sometimes, Scully was grateful for the moments of safety, other times it just compounded on her already anxious mindset. 

“Wake up Scully,” his low voice vibrated through her bones, “We’re almost there.”

Desperate for a few more minutes of relaxation, Scully merely curled a lip. A heavy palm landed on her thigh and began rubbing in a comforting circle. He tapped her jeans once, but she refused to acknowledge him. A few seconds later the car pitched to the side and back again. Scully’s eyes shot open and she whipped her head around to yell at Mulder. 

“Mulder, if I wanted to trigger my fight or flight, I would have just turned on the television!” Scully slid back up her seat and opened her eyes against the harsh daylight. “I let you drive because your car is bigger - not because I trust your skills.”

“Oh Scully,” Mulder chuckled and spat a sunflower seed into the container in the driver’s side door, “You have such little faith in me.”

Scully pursed her lips and leaned her head against the headrest. To her right, homes and storefronts zipped past like a fresh oil painting. It reminded her of all the home movies her mother would make the family watch every Christmas. Every single year from the time was born until the year Emily was discovered was captured on film. Unfortunately, the traditional viewings had stopped when her mother died. From there on out, memories of past holidays never felt the same. 

They came to a stop and Scully peeked out the window to the car next to them. A minivan with stickers littering the window was blaring a jaunty tune that sounded as if it was plucked straight from a Disney movie. The moment the light turned green, one of the back windows opened and a child appeared with a shoe at the ready. When the van began to move, he made eye contact with Scully and threw the shoe in her direction. It bounced off the door of the SUV and fell to the road below. 

“So, do you have a list?” Mulder asked while his eyes darted between the GPS and the road. “Are we reporting this to the insurance company?”

“You do as you see fit,” Scully replied, still irritated by his stunt. “Technically it’s your house, not mine.”

“You know your opinion matters,” Mulder looked deflated. “At least to me.”

Scully smiled and slid a hand on to his denim-covered thigh and squeezed gently. 

“I know.”

-x-

“What about Stockholm?” Mulder asked as he sat down on the plush leather seat. “Out of context, that’s quite a question.”

Scully laughed and resisted the urge to sit next to him. Their relationship was still so fragile, even after their recent escapade at the Long Lines Building. Already crushingly aware of her own mortality, Scully had been brutally reminded that in the current world, nothing and no one stayed dead. Although, watching Mulder sweaty and exhilarated like so many years prior, did prove to be a powerful aphrodisiac. 

Her heart warmed, watching his childlike glee escape while galavanting around the large store. Always a tactile person, Mulder looked elated to touch all the couches and swing all the doors. Of course, he would say it was to ‘test their mobility’ but Scully knew that his mind worked best with textures and colors. It was his way of processings things - so uniquely him that Scully couldn’t imagine him any other way. 

He was still medicating appropriately - something that had been a point of contention between them. Although it had been a few weeks since they had spoken, their impromptu dinner and subsequent nap on the couch was a bandaid of domesticity. It worked - for now. Granted their lives would never be normal by any means. However, shopping for furniture on a Saturday morning was as close to domestic bliss she would likely get. The little things added up; for so many years she had been convinced that she had no future at all. Years of harboring a secret love and Mulder’s penchant for dying made a relationship difficult. Even their time apart had been filled with longing and a desperate need to revisit her old bad habit: him. 

“Hey, Scully of Nine?” Mulder was suddenly in front of her looking down with his sensitive brown eyes and for a moment, Scully was reminded of how easy it was for her to fall devastatingly in love with him. Time, while relentless, had aged Mulder well and that she was thankful for. 

“Yes, Captain?” she quipped, falling back on an old joke of theirs. “Are you functioning within normal parameters?”

“I am,” he laughed through his nose and wrapped a heavy arm around her shoulders. It felt as if she was swaddled in the most heavenly blanket on Earth. It felt so right, so familiar. However, there was still so much to sort through between them. The fact that he was willing to spend an eternity with her, even as a lonely AI, troubled her. Was he committed or co-dependent? Either way, her absence actively harmed him so she refused to do it again. 

He bumped his hip into hers and pointed across the room to the beds. She wrapped her arms around his waist and together they walked towards the opposite end of the store. The white, sterile light above them coupled with the large windows in the store made for a picturesque environment. She was a little envious, something that pristine would never work in their home. Given the nature of their careers and relationship, they would likely be back in the same spot in six months. At least she got to change the theme to the living room frequently.

Even though the house was not hers. 

Together they launched themselves onto a display bed, very aware of the signs that asked them not to. Scully was the first to sit up and smooth out her shirt. She reached for Mulder, who pulled her back down into a sneaky embrace. He placed a single kiss on her forehead and stood up. When he reached for her, she eyed him playfully and reached out a hand. 

“You know, we don’t need a new bed, but that one is rather comfortable,” Mulder wiggled his eyebrows.

Scully laughed and walked away from him, “Oh brother.”

-x-

“We should’ve hired movers,” Mulder whined as he set down the last box from the backseat. “Or let them deliver it, even though it was two hundred dollars.”

Scully smiled as Mulder wandered back out of the house muttering about highway robbery and how often they bought furniture. She kicked off her shoes and began dragging the heavy boxes around the living room. Perhaps she could convince Mulder to set up the couch first so she could take a nap. Something about the timber scented home coupled with her favorite apple cinnamon candle led to her falling asleep every time she laid down on the couch. Maybe it was Mulder’s presence too. 

Maybe.

She heard her name being called from outside so she took off barefoot towards the front door. She tiptoed on the porch, which was hot from the summer sun. The cement of the stairs nipped at her feet, but it didn’t bother her. 

“Scully? Did you put this in the cart?” Mulder was holding a medium-sized box and staring at her with a dubious expression. “I don’t know where it came from.”

She stepped closer to inspect the box and looked up at Mulder incredulity, “Why would we buy a crib? Is it on the receipt?”

Scully flipped through her emails to check and came up with nothing. “Mulder, it’s not on the receipt. I don’t even remember seeing it in the store! Did we grab it instead of something else?” 

“I don’t think that’s what happened,” He hit the car door with his hip and walked back towards the house. 

Scully followed behind, bewildered. She usually kept a trained eye on any car they had. But, based upon the strange events that occurred whenever they went, she had to keep an open mind about any uncommon occurrence. Granted, the possibilities of a government conspiracy involving a minimalistic crib were slim. But, that didn’t always mean anything. 

“What do we do with it?” Mulder asked, inspecting the corrugated cardboard as if it would come to life. “It’s not like we have a use for it.”

It was a simple phrase, but to Scully, it was quite a blow. This home had never had a crib inside and it never would. She knew that it was a harmless admission, but the words hurt nonetheless. 

Scully gently took the box from his hands and held it against her hip, “I think we should take it back tomorrow. It feels weird having it in the house.”

“What did his crib look like?” Mulder interrupted, “William’s, I mean.” 

“It was mine from when I was a child. Plain white, nothing too extravagant. His sheets were lavender with tiny opalescent clouds. I wanted to buy a pastel blue crib one with tiny elephants on the headboard but my mother insisted that I use my old one.” Scully explained, tapping her fingers on the box. “I guess I never realized that I would never get the chance to buy one.”

Mulder walked to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace, “I think I’ll never forgive myself for being away during the times you needed me most.”

Scully melted into his embrace, thankful for the support, “I forgave you years ago, Mulder. Yes, it hurts. But, you’re here now and you’re well. It’s all I could ever want. You’re all I could ever want. Even if your driving scares me and you squeeze the toothpaste from the front, you’re still everything to me.”

He leaned down to kiss her once, “That’s it? Out of all the possibilities and people in this world, you want little ole’ me?”

“Sure do,” Scully nuzzled his neck and let herself be picked up and carried through the house. She closed her eyes and smiled when she smelled the spicy musk of Mulder’s room. Soon she was set down on a soft bed. 

“Mulder?” Scully asked sympathetically. She knew the side effects of his medication. Never would she press the issue, considering their unlabeled relationship - but she did miss the intimacy they had. The silver lining of it all was their budding reconciliation was stronger than their entire partnership in terms of emotional security. 

“I just want to hold you, if that’s okay,” he pulled her jeans off and folded them. They landed on the oversize recliner in the corner next to his boxers. That small detail alone was enough to remind her just how far he had come. The lecherous waterbed had been replaced by a queen-sized oak frame with sensible sheets and economical pillows. There was no mirror on the ceiling, just a fan that neither of them would turn on. Something about the background noise was a trigger for Mulder and an annoyance for Scully. 

“That’s more than okay,” Scully whispered as she stared up at him. Oh, how many times she gazed at him, supine and so very in love. His lower lip glistened as he crawled from the bottom of the bed to lay beside her. Suddenly, she became hyperaware of the scratch of the bedsheets and the satin of the pillowcases. He opened his arms and she dove in, ready to feel the heat from his body. With tiny pricks of pressure, he pressed his fingers diligently around her back. Soon, the tension that had been compounding over seven days started to dissipate. 

“I- I think we should keep it,” Mulder whispered intimately into her ear, “I can’t explain why. I just have a feeling.”

“You sure it wasn’t the twenty meatballs?” Scully deflected. 

“No, I’m serious. Something is telling me to just keep it. Trust me.”

Scully snuggled deeper into his embrace and felt her eyes close.

“I do Mulder, I do.”

  
  



End file.
